Building a Solar Can Heater (Window unit) 

You are the only person I've seen yet that has offset his inlet and outlet holes. Good job

A little tip would be to paint the cans and box in MATT black, it wont reflect as much sun as gloss black spray paint.

@mettanc air is pulled in from within the house though one hole. The cans are heated by the sun in a sealed compartment the air travels though the cans and is warmed and then pushed back in the house by the fan. As the fan sucks the hot air out more air enters the cans and is heated up.

thank you for sharing your videos.. this help me with my new solar heater project..

this is awesome... great vid as usual sweetie. I have book marked this and the site you gave... I would like to try this just for fun as well. I'll be back to see the answers to some of the questions already asked. Much love and hugs to you.

@nx2overide, thanks! I think I may give this a try over next winter:)

Thanks to this video I am now enjoying hot bath and warm room this cold weather...

Very cool vid I'm just about finished with mine I just have to put the backing

@msguit Im using a 12 volt DC adapter i bought just clipped off the tip and shrink wrapped the wire together using wire sleeves. Its a 12 volt fan.. i did the same thing on my larger sliding glass door unit.. i just finished a huge model im using a large 12 volt fan powered via solar panels. ill be uploading that video next week.

nice video... concise, yet very informative

I just found this and I love the concept... the only thing I would do differently would be to 1. line the rear plate with reflective insulation try to keep as much heat inside the box and heating the cans, or 2. add larger thermal mass to the back plate 3. I would set the fan to blow cool air into the box rather than exposing it to high temp air. the bearing will dry out and any plastic in the fan is not going to last long.. But hey its a damn great idea.... well done

@mat2dong yes it does i build a huge unit to replace this one though works great.. im producing on average 150 degree heat during the day off the large unit.. the house is cozy!

@WORRO01 actually it does pretty good for keeping the bed room nice and warm.. i am fixing to upload a new video of it in action on a semi cloudy day. i just finished a larger unit and am finalizing my last one.

@TheBootscooter222 with this small unit after the sun goes down its acourding to how cold it is outside.. my heat is automatic so i just kicks in when it needs to.. a unit like this is only for 1 room a larger unit can heat multiple rooms but both only suplement during the day.

I notice this is an old project. I am courius on your giant version!

This is awesome... a window solar passive air heater a great way to use this too much sun..

this is great, thanks for sharing this..

I suggest making your inlet hole larger. Usually temp tests are taken from the outlet. If you push air in you are more efficient because cooler air is denser, you could simply turn the fan over so it is pushing instead of pulling

yes you can power a small unit like this with two 9 volt batteries... i don't use this anymore as it was a prototype really. i made a large unit and it definitely works at low cost.

great idea... simple and effective

I built it so I didn't have to pop the windows out I just pushed the windows up and slid them in. 102 was the summer here I build off season.. Our winters are kinda weird we never can tell what to expect. but the summers are usually hot and humid.

@wormholer693 i used to have one similar and i live in cornwall yeah it still works but inly during the day even on cloudy days it still absorbs light or ours did

you can use a can opener on both ends for a clean cut on the cans

Hi, just a word of caution, I have seen many videos where the plexiglass wasn't far enough from the cans to keep from melting, I believe it was suggested you need to have a space of at least 6 inches from the cans to the plexiglass to avoid warpage. Good luck on your bigger model.

best one...good job !

@preparedchipmunk rock on.. thanks for the tips.any tips on this stuff will help me out .. i know very little about this stuff.. I'm working on building a big version of this now and hopefully it will be a lot better as I'm going to have a little more room between the cans and the glass too :)

@saintcarp push air.. now thats an idea.. im building another unit so i may try that! Thanks!!

@MapexRG yep pretty much.. and no, it will only work during the day because it need the sun heat up the cans.. but my thing is with a large enough unit you could heat several rooms in a house in the winter during the day.

pretty good, but the sun hits the back of my house direct pretty much all day. I ended up building a huge outside version it worked so good.. now i can pretty much heat 1 side of my house in the winter with the sun.

@wormholer693 I live in the states in south carolina.. it gets really cold here too.. and yep yep it is a worthwild thing to build. i am going to build a giant version of this probubly about the size of a doorway... i figure if u make it with 2 chambers it would double heat the air.

@enjoythesilence29 U can build one i got the plans off line I just made a smaller version for a window unit style..

so cool

Just a respectful suggestion, try flat black paint, I believe it creates more heat and looks just a fraction better.

i appreciate your quick response. it would be nice to have a video of the electrical aspect as i and others are novices at it. i'm going to sound dumb here. doesn't the adapter need power? i understand now how the fan is working thru the adapter but guess i didn't know they had self-powering adapters. is it something you can get at radio shack? i bought 2 little fans for the fins & motors and was going to use solar cells but if i can use adapters i'd go that way. thanks for your help.

Great video man! I'm not sure where you live but in winder does the unit produce the same heat in the winter as in this video? Keeping it in full sun both in winter and summer.

They act as a heat collector or absorber. They store the heat till the air flow pushes it farther. Also they store some heat for when the sun goes down.

awesome

@TikaFo na i dont think it will fully melt the cheese in a timly manor, but you can get a cheep acetylene torch.. they melt the cheese just fine!

i'm looking to make one myself, just curious what u r using to power your fan? i see a red wire but i can't see where it goes and i don't see any solar cells anywhere to power it. would appreciate if you could let me know, its starting to get colder here where i live (by Canada) so the sooner i get started the better. great job by the way.

nice!!!

I wonder if lining the back and sides with black brick would retain heat longer after sundown. Obviously that would not be suitable for a window installation but just under it or next to it should work. I’m presently gathering materials to make one and have also been studying rocket mass heaters. I guess this would be a cross between solar and RMH. I may just try it to satisfy my curiosity.

1st off, this came out excellent, 2nd off I am attempting to make a similar project and am having some difficulty gluing the cans together, I just purchased high heat mortar because I read it works we'll, any suggestions?

approx. how much square footage would this heat? thx great video

Great video. I have my jewelry studio in one part of my storage shed. No electricity or heat. Could I make this "heater" and place it directly into a cut-out on the wall? I have only one side that gets direct sun for the majority of the day but has no window. thanks!

Good work! I would only consider using Matte Black paint on the cans and Gloss Black on the inside.

Hey, can someone share how this connects to the window so the hot air is blowing/pushed inside of the house? I realize this is a window unit, just need to know how the hot air is coming into the house/small room. Thanks.

that's so cool. your really creative in all your solar things you have :P lol if that makes sense xD

@galegregory97comcast i was just using a small computer fan ran off a wall wort power supply 2 watts dc.

I wish u would explain theconcept and funtion of what your doing step by step,I am very interested

With passive solar air heater, we could save a lot during this cold months...

Does the use of electrical power for the power supply offset the benefits of the heat produced?

I'm not sure. but did you used glaze (more reflective) colour? Matt colour is more effective cause it reflecting less sunschine

How does that sucker work on cold nights? You take it out of the window?

One thing that saved me about 30 bucks a month in Arizona summer,was to relocate the water heater to the side of the house that the sun hits. i guess you have the opposite problem. I think it is harder and more difficult and expensive to cool than heat?

I like the video but what is the product name of that little fan? What is it called exactly? thank you

in the winter months you get less sun. when the sun goes down and it starts to get cold what do you do then? This solar heater wouldn't be collecting any heat.

I am not sure if I completely understood... but are you putting this in a window? I don't think that will work because the amount of sunlight (energy) that falls on this heater is teh same amount that otherwise would fall through yr window. The only thing that might be beneficial is that maybe the amount of heat that you otherwise would loose through the glas may be less

can you made the same test during the winter storm?

Hey buddy,,,I've been wanting to make one of these too...OK now that it is winter, how is this one working out for you? IM very curious. Thanks! And Thumbs up to you!!~John

@nx2overide does the heat last through the night?? if not how long after the sun goes down do you have to turn on auxillary heat?

@nx2overide Thanks for the reply. IM gonna sub, you have some good video's! Take care~John

So how did it work through out the winter season?

lol i am with u on the water when I'm told to drink water I tell them I ani't no fish lol love the heaters how are they working for you

On paint and put plexiglass on the front I used 36 cans six tall 6 across

It also will melt off eventually due to the heat. I wold suggest a Grill Type Spray Paint

I am building a new unit now so i will film it and show exactly what im doing.

so it absorbs a bunch of hot air and then then a fan blows it into the house? how would it work during the winter with no sun out?

@nx2overide in the winter, how much heat remains after the sun goes down?

im not too sure but how do the cans play apart in your invention?

I've just started a small version of this to heat my greenhouse as i live in the UK you know what they say about how crap out weather is over here but I've used the smaller thinner Energy drinks cans 6 rows of 5 stacked I'm thinking of using a distilling copper coil to feed into the cans to allow the air inside longer to heat feeding it from base to top then back down across the rows i have also insulated the back using one of those plastic foil blankets runners use after a marathon to line the back board and also some polystyrene strips from old packaging to keep it all tight only allowing the clear front to be exposed what do you think about the coil idea?

whats different in the new design?

shiny black reflects light, you may want to try matte

How is the fan connected?

Do you have an instructional video available for this?

oh... one other thing, is there a minimum thickness for the wood? I'm just thinking about what I have laying around the property. :-)

tell me about the fan

if ya wrapped black tape around the cans wouldn't that help store heat ?

The worlds loudest fan !!

you fix fan in big whole back side and getting hot air from the small whole, how can we heat the water with that hot air . can you explain me... please ...i am a bit poor with science

does this work in 25 deg weather

@thesatanicnetwork you can keep your weed in there..lol

I'm not heat expert or anything, so I may be asking a stupid question. Wouldn't it be more realistic to check the difference in temperature during the winter when it's not so hot outside and the sun is not reheating already hot air?

Hello, I'm curious, I've built version of this using aluminum downspouts which I'm just about ready to test, but I was wondering if I should try a smaller diameter hole cut 1" for the intake. My thoughts are this may create a slower draw, giving interior a greater chance to heat. I'd keep exhaust @ 3" though. Do you have any thoughts on this? Great vid by the way and I've picked up some great tips, thanks for posting.

so do you have to take out your windows in the winter to install them. ..... furthermore if you in 102'F your winters prob dont get that cold.. like ever....desert people...it gets below 65'F and they go and throw a hoodie on...

how do you do the wood and get the cans from? PEACE OUT! XD

because everyone builds them in the summer.

@BloodyPaperclip not somthing this small.. it will only heat a room.

How would the heat generation change if you were to use a mirror behind the cans instead of painting the back wall inside the case black?

would lining the inside of the wooden box with aluminum foil or a aluminum sheet help with effectiveness?

trying to warm your house? instead of pop cans in your window install skylights you can or make them there easy if you know what your doing

@ 1:46 - "same idea is like when you get in your car in the winter and it's like blazing hot inside" Okay, I really like the idea of this "window unit solar heater", but I have never, ever, ever gotten in my car in the winter and it's been blazing hot inside. In the summer, sure, but not once in the winter unless my car has been running for 15 minutes "warming up" with the heater on high. ..........anyway, this is something I'd like to try. i think even I could manage without funking it up too bad! Thanks!

can i have one?

I know, but this is what i had on hand.

can anyone tell me why cans are better than the back of the box being black? (Someone qualified) My son says surface area, but sunlight comes from one point.

Do you have a video showing it working in the winter? I mean, You don't need it at the time of year you shot this video.. Whats the output temp of air coming in your home when its 30deg. outside???

What sort of fan,and how was it attached. What powers the fan?

are you sure that is capable of heating an entire house?

@thehilitereel yep if i could do that i would use it :) free is free hehe

Solar can heater? Why the hell would I want to warm up my beer?? lol joking

How did this work for you?